Serpent Ancestor

Seeing that even someone like Han Te received two hundred thousand Spirit Stones, the eyes of the rogue cultivators in the distance lit up with greed.

”I am at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Stage. How about a hundred thousand Spirit Stones?”

A rogue cultivator mustered the courage to speak, but Zhou Qingxuan ignored him completely.

”Ladies and gentlemen, we will depart in one hour. If anyone else wishes to join, do so quickly, or you’ll miss the opportunity,” Zhou Qingxuan announced.

Everyone exchanged glances and began to discuss among themselves.

The people present were quick-witted, speculating whether the Zhou Family had stumbled upon some great fortune and needed people to act as cannon fodder.

Some said that the Myriad Treasure Pavilion wouldn’t be so shameless, as they were businessmen, and a tarnished reputation would ruin them.

Others guessed they were planning to attack the Chu Tian Alliance and needed manpower.

Xu Hei thought for a moment and sat cross-legged nearby, wanting to see what tricks the Zhou Family was up to.

Suddenly, Xu Hei saw two familiar figures approaching Zhou Qingxuan.One was a white-bearded elder, holding a horsetail whisk and dressed in a Taoist robe adorned with the Eight Trigrams, exuding an aura of immortality.

It was Tianji Shangren!

Beside him was a masked man, following closely like a shadow, with sharp eyes. It was clearly Liu Buqun.

”Why are these two together again? Are they glued to each other?” Xu Hei internally complained.

As if sensing Xu Hei’s gaze, the white-bearded elder turned his head, smiled slightly, and nodded in acknowledgment.

Xu Hei quickly averted his eyes.

Tianji Shangren walked up to Zhou Qingxuan and said with a smile, ”I, a humble Taoist, have observed that the Zhou Family has a lady of great fortune, so I have come to offer my assistance.”

”Great! How many Spirit Stones do you require, fellow Daoist?” Zhou Qingxuan immediately perked up, not daring to neglect him, and asked quickly.

”I do not require Spirit Stones,” Tianji Shangren unexpectedly shook his head, then transmitted a message, the contents of which were unknown.

After some contemplation, Zhou Qingxuan nodded in agreement.

”What is this old fox planning? Should I join as well?” Xu Hei hesitated, considering that with a clone and a puppet, he wasn’t afraid of being discovered.

…………

At the same time, Xu Hei’s true self was flying towards the interior of Wuyou City.

Wuyou City, with its clusters of ancient buildings, mostly in a state of collapse, had its bricks and stones turned pitch black from years of accumulated yin energy, exuding an eerie aura.

From beneath the surface, creaking sounds could be heard, made by corpse puppets.

Looking around, one could vaguely see the shadows of its former grandeur.

Xu Hei took out a communication jade slip left by Xiao Chou.

”Head eighty miles east, Chu Tian Alliance...”

Xu Hei read the message in the jade slip and flew eastward.

Moments later, he arrived in front of a relatively well-preserved pavilion courtyard.

Xu Hei pondered briefly, then sent a puppet ahead to enter the courtyard.

In an instant, his vision cleared, and the light brightened, revealing a hidden world within the courtyard.

Xu Hei focused his gaze, finding the seemingly small courtyard surprisingly vast inside.

Members of the Chu Tian Alliance were present, but after a glance at Xu Hei, they ignored him and continued with their own tasks.

The Silver-haired Witch was staring blankly at a wall.

Ku Xuan was chanting scriptures to the Vulture.

Zhang Tie was sharpening his hammer.

Additionally, five rogue cultivators were meditating cross-legged, also ignoring Xu Hei.

”You’ve arrived,” Xu Qingfeng approached.

”I have,” Xu Hei replied, unsure of what else to say.

”Have you made up your mind?” Xu Qingfeng asked.

Xu Hei nodded and said, ”I am willing to cooperate with you.”

This was a decision Xu Hei had reached after careful consideration.

Since Xu Hei began cultivating, he had always fought alone, never joining any faction or power. At most, he would ask Man Jin or Lei Meng for help.

This expedition to the relic made him deeply aware that individual strength is limited, and the omnipresent calamities and ever-looming enemies often put Xu Hei in danger.

He had left the Blood Corpse Cave thanks to the Chu Tian Alliance’s Minor Teleportation Formation.

At the exit, it was also the Chu Tian Alliance that blocked the ambush.

This narrow escape led Xu Hei to decide that if he could rely on external forces, why not give it a try?

He might have survived by luck once, but there might not be a next time.

Enemies like the Zhou Family’s ancestor were not few. Whether it was the Thirteenth Ancestor of the Snake Catchers Sect or Lei He, they would not hesitate to kill him on sight.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the Chu Tian Alliance had helped him once, proving their sincerity.

”May our cooperation be successful,” Xu Qingfeng smiled.

”Successful cooperation!” Xu Hei nodded.

At the same time, Xu Hei’s clone had also mingled with the Zhou Family’s rogue cultivator team, earning five thousand Spirit Stones as a reward.

”Fellow Daoist, long time no see. I’ve missed you,” Tianji Shangren beamed.

Xu Hei ignored him, took two steps back, and tightened his helmet.

”Fellow Daoist, no need to be nervous. I mean no harm. Though I cannot discern your identity, I can see that you are blessed with great fortune. I, a humble Taoist, love to make friends with those favored by fate,” Tianji Shangren said with a smile.

”Is he a child of fortune?” Xu Hei pointed at Liu Buqun.

Tianji Shangren fell silent, and Liu Buqun’s expression turned awkward.

…………

At this moment, within the Chu Tian Alliance’s stronghold.

In a separate room, both Xu Hei’s true self and puppet had arrived.

He took out a Storage Bag and asked, ”Can you open this?”

It was Zhou Qing’s Storage Bag.

Xu Hei could have waited until his cultivation improved to open it himself, but time was of the essence, and his trump cards were far from sufficient. He needed to enhance his strength as quickly as possible.

”The Zhou Family’s ancestor’s Storage Bag?”

Xu Qingfeng took the Storage Bag, examined it carefully, then suddenly tossed it away and pointed at it.

”Bang!”

With a crisp sound, a golden flame burst out, twisting the Void with its heat.

”This...” Xu Hei was stunned.

”The Zhou Family’s ancestor had ill intentions. If you had carelessly unsealed it without any precautions, this soul fire would have burned you to ashes,” Xu Qingfeng said solemnly.

Xu Hei’s face darkened; it was his first time encountering such a trick.

However, he had anticipated something like this, which was why he hadn’t fallen for it.

At this moment, Xu Qingfeng stared at the flame for a while, then suddenly said, ”Take out your Ten Thousand Word Heavenly Book.”

Xu Hei immediately complied.

Xu Qingfeng took the Ten Thousand Word Heavenly Book, pointed at the Void, and the flame rapidly contracted, transforming into a gust of red wind that was absorbed into the book, forming the character burn on it.

”This ’burn’ character can release the soul fire from earlier, dealing significant damage to Divine Sense, but it can only be used once,” Xu Qingfeng handed the book back.

”Thank you.”

Xu Hei accepted the Ten Thousand Word Heavenly Book.

Now, he had another lethal move.

At this moment, the Storage Bag had been charred black and shattered, scattering its contents on the ground.

These were the Magical Treasures Zhou Qing hadn’t had time to destroy.

Before his ”death,” he could only resort to such petty tricks.

Although most of the treasures were destroyed in the fire, many remained intact, a dazzling array of various types, all unused by Zhou Qing.

Xu Hei glanced at them and gasped.

Only now did he realize how well-prepared the Zhou Family’s ancestor had been for the ancient relic.

Xu Qingfeng was also stunned for a while before exclaiming, ”As expected of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion’s ancestor, this wealth even makes me envious.”

Xu Hei knew he was just speaking casually and wouldn’t actually try to seize them.

The main concern was that after the burning, many Magical Treasures had lost their effectiveness.